Category Archives: Local Food And Wine

Tuscany Food & Wine app by Acqua Panna

by Paige Donner

Ahhh… summer is at long last nearly here. Dream vacation destinations are beginning to dance through our heads like sugar plum fairies in wispy toutous as the languid summer months of promised sunshine begin to magically reveal themselves before us.

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Tuscany. Tuscany, the land of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Tuscany, where cold-pressed virgin olive oils beckon as seductively as do its wines and terroir.

Dream vacations, can, however, at times, be more effort than joy, a corelation thoroughly dependent on planning and resources. So if this is your first Tuscan Escape, not to worry. The region’s wine producers and local government tourism agencies have gotten together to form a welcoming platform called Tuscan Taste.

Tuscan Taste is a series of outreach events and organized hospitality platforms to make your visit to and exploration of Tuscany as effortless as it is enjoyable. The brand was developed in collaboration with the region’s main wine Consorzi to communicate the Tuscan values of quality, beauty, sustainability, taste and tradition.

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Why a butterfly: Tuscany springs from the map to become a butterfly. A messenger to the world, heralding the quality of Tuscan wines. Heralding the traditions of a glorious region, and of a culture of winemaking built up

through the centuries. A culture that, right here in Tuscany, has created some of the very best wines in the world. One butterfly, ten, a hundred, even more – as many as there are Tuscan wines. Butterflies fluttering

their wings to take the message of Tuscan wines to the world, and to new and exalted heights.

For the billion and a half of us on the planet right now who are SmartPhone oriented, especially when we travel, we have this fabulous new Tuscany Food & Wine app by Acqua Panna at our fingertips as of this Spring.

The app is offered free for iOS devices and in addition to offering things to do and see – nature, art, history – in the region, it also features mouthwatering pictures and descriptions of local foods, cuisine, dishes, restaurants, and, of course, wines and wonderful wine pairings.

Wines are especially highlighted in the Tuscany Food & Wine app where it features a guide to the many local wineries as well as detailed descriptions of the wines’ composition such as alcohol percentage, grapes used and where you can find the wineries for a cellar visit and tasting.

The GPS enabled "Around Me" feature spotlights the restaurants, sites, wineries and other points of interest within a few kilometers of your current location. For those who want to immerse themselves in the languid deliciousness that is the Tuscan Summer, there is even a glossary included on the app that explains the various abbreviations denoting the artisanal Italian local food products and wines which helps you to understand their exact origin and stamp of quality.

OK, then. All set? The app is available for download at:

http://bit.ly/tuscanyapp

Long considered the best still mineral water for enhancing all the nuances of wine and food, thanks to its smooth, elegant taste, Acqua Panna represents all the power of nature in the heart of the Tuscan Apennines, with 1300 hectares of natural preserve, a unique aquifer, and a long history of culture, passion and love for the environment.

Acqua Panna
http://www.acquapanna.com
www.facebook.com/acquapanna

About Toscana Promozione
Toscana Promozione is the Economic Promotion Agency of Tuscany, established in 2000 by the local government. Thanks to a network of professional associations, institutions, enterprises, universities and research centers, Toscana Promozione is, today, a concrete platform for overseas enterprises interested in doing business in or with Tuscany.

@♥Chérie Du Vin

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Sirius XM Satellite’s Green Is Good Radio Features Paige Donner, Founder Local Food And Wine

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Paige Donner, journalist, blogger, eco-activist, actor/filmmaker and more, returns to the show from Paris to discuss her passion for local food and wine. Donner became more interested in the marriage of regional wines and local food when she was in British Columbia to cover the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Three and a half years later, her Local Food and Wine media platform and blog has spanned the globe, covering the world’s great winemaking and local food producing regions. As her knowledge of the globe’s wine regions grew, so too did her concern for how climate change could potentially impact viticultural areas.

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Paige Donner

Founder, Local Food And Wine

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“Wine grapes have long been recognized by scientists as being the most sensitive agricultural crop in terms of climate change,” Donner reveals. “What you see happening in wine regions [could preview] what is coming down the pike for other agricultural regions.”

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Yountville Summer Events

Meet the Winemaker Reception

Come meet Cloudburst’s winemaker, Will Berliner from Margaret River, Australia for a complimentary tasting at Lucy Bar. This event will take place TONIGHT, May 16, from 5 to 6:30 pm. In town for two weeks only, Mr. Berliner will be pouring his Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. With biodynamic practices integrated into both wines, they are quickly becoming all the rage on the New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco food scene. This exclusive engagement will be complimented with savory bites prepared by Lucy’s executive chef, Victor Scargle.

Contact Lucy to make your reservations at (707) 204-6030 or www.bardessono.com/restaurant_bar.

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Spring Wine Dinners at Bouchon

Bouchon invites you to experience two exclusive epicurean events this Memorial Day weekend. Join Bouchon under the stars in their beautiful courtyard Thursday, May 23rd as they welcome Samuel Guibert of Mas de Daumas Gassac. Known as the “grand cru” of the Langueduc, Mas de Daumas Gassac features organic wines full of elegance, finesse and structure – the perfect pair for Bouchon’s cuisine! $175 per person plus tax & service. Then on Sunday, May 26th they welcome 13th generation winemaker and Master Distiller, Marko Karakasevic of Charbay Distillery. Marko will be pairing artisanal cocktails with Chef’s special menu while sharing the stories of his family’s craft. $150.00 plus tax & service. Both dinners start at 7:30 pm and seating is limited. For reservations please call (707) 944-8037

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RockNapa Concert in July

RockNapa 2013 will take place at the historic Charles Krug Winery on July 18th and 19th. The series will offer a festival atmosphere on the winery’s Great Lawn and a VIP Experience in the beautifully restored 100 year old Carriage House, featuring some of Napa Valley’s premium wineries.

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Terroirs et Talents Champagne 2013


All photos by Paige Donner c. 2013 – See FULL SLIDESHOW HERE

It’s hard knowing that I’m the envy of all my wine enthusiast friends and colleagues Stateside and in Canada. My only response is, It’s a tough job [continually tasting great grower champagnes] but somebody’s got to do it… ; )

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Panda Bears And The Climactic Re-zoning of Wine Regions

Let me explain… [More INFO on Local Food And Wine]

In the PNAS.org study of 4/8/’13, Wine, Climate Change and Conservation, several scenarios are outlined as to how our current trajectory of global warming i.e. climate change is impacting the earth’s wine regions by 2050. In one scenario they state that the, 

Area suitable for viticulture decreases 25% to 73% in major wine producing regions by 2050.

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Alarming? They seem to think so. The 6-page report further reports that the areas most affected will be wine regions in a Mediterranean or Mediterranean-like climate zone. That means parts of southern Europe, Australia, parts of Chile and Northern California.  The study does state that the areas that will suffer least, at least by 2050, will be higher elevation zones, coastal zones, and more Northern latitude areas – areas like New Zealand, Northern Europe and Canada’s British Columbia. 

OK… so what about the Panda Bears? 

This PNAS report includes discussion of how adaptation can mitigate some of these climate change effects on wine regions. Adaptation can take the form of tailored viticultural practices, adaptive irrigation techniques, and also planting at higher elevations to name a few.

In China, where viticulture and the planting of vineyards are firmly in a development phase, this could mean rapid adaptation so as to anticipate regional climate change. In plain English what this means is that some of the areas that are most suitable for high-quality wine grape cultivation in China are the same areas that are the natural habitat for giant panda bears.

… China is not known for its European-style wines, but it
is among the fastest growing wine-producing regions in the
world. It has significant areas suitable for viticulture (Fig. 1), and these areas are in the same mountains that are habitat for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Future conservation efforts for the giant panda need to incorporate consideration of viticulture as a potential land use and viticultural suitability trends in response to climate change. – PNAS.org April 8, ’13 Hannah

It seems that we may be seeing pictures of Giant Panda Bears popping up everywhere in the coming decades as the new poster child of climate change, just as we’ve seen polar bears and melting ice caps in the past decade.

For more information about this topic go to PNAS.org or take a look at this short (3′) doc film preview. You can also LIKE Facebook.com/wineandclimatechange. 


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Crate and Barrel Vancouver Opening

Sponsored Post

Crate and Barrel Store Opening in Vancouver, B.C., Canada

This past week, Crate and Barrel opened its doors in Vancouver, B.C. to celebrate its sixth Canadian store opening. Guests in attendance enjoyed wine and hors d’ouevres as they shopped Crate and Barrel’s newest collections with friends and family.

Crate and Barrel is a global leader in the home décor retail industry, offering contemporary, affordable housewares in 100+ stores in almost every major North American market.

www.crateandbarrel.com

Crate And Barrel Vancouver Opening, Vancouver Food And Wine

Crate And Barrel Vancouver Opening, Vancouver Food And Wine

Crate and Barrel celebrates its Vancouver, B.C., Canada store opening

Crate and Barrel Oakridge Center 650 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver BC V5Z 2M9

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♥Chérie Du Vin

Cristal Vibrations

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by Paige Donner

This title actually began as a chapter heading for my journal entry about my visit to Champagne Louis Roederer in Reims. But I liked it so much that I’m using it here, too. It just works so beautifully. It describes simply what Cristal, the legendary champagne by Roederer, is all about. Or, more precisely, what Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, Roederer’s Chef de Caves – that’s Cellar Master or “winemaker” in French – does with his wines.

Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery 

It was at the cellars in Reims where I was treated to a guided tour by none other than Mr. Lécaillon. Yes, a visit to the cellars where Cristal is made, where a million bottles of the golden elixir lay resting before disgorgement, and by the very man who blends this most famous of the world’s champagnes.

Unbelievable. Or, rather, Unforgettable.

It’s required a fair amount of reflection to settle upon a term as to how to describe the man who elaborates the world’s most famous, and perhaps loved, champagne… Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery 

Cristal is a wine. It is a celebrated champagne. The most celebrated on Earth, in fact. And it is a singularly unique vibratory energy. It’s a frequency. It’s a vibration. It’s the Cristal Vibration.

Lécaillon imprints his wines with this energetic vibration. Or, more precisely, he orchestrates the energetic vibrational imprint that nature has already made on the grapes – via the crayères (chalky champagne soil and cellars), the sun exposure, the placement of the vines the climactic conditions of that year – and allows its essence expression in his champagnes…

Read Entire Post HERE + Picture Gallery 

Champagne-Roederer.com

 

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